Advertisements for a spare room on Craigslist are unique and different from one another. One may be brief and missing detail, others could be very detailed. However, the one thing that makes a craigslist advertisement more appealing to potential roommate are pictures. After all, seeing is believing.

Like with an advertisement renting out a room, potential roommates want to see pictures of what they are inquiring about. Otherwise, it takes either: a great deal of desperation or some strong convincing words for a potential roommate to reply to an advertisement.

THINK LIKE A BUYER
Think about an eBay advertisement, would you bid on an item without seeing it first? I don’t think I would. I generally want to see a picture or a detailed description of the item before bidding. Most potential roommates have the same approach when it comes to replying to roommate advertisements. They want to see the place they are inquiring about or else it’s a waste of their time.

USING PHOTOS
If you don’t have photos in your advertisement just yet, do yourself a favor and take the initiative. The pay off will result in more inquiries, which translates to a higher possibility of finding a suitable roommate.

Some key points to take into consideration when you’re taking photographs:

Ensure proper lighting

Try different angles

Include selling points

Proper LightingEnsure photos have proper lighting. It pays to take the time to setup lights to capture well-taken photos. Dark, somber pictures are not very attractive. With proper lighting, you can capture well-lit photos that do your spare room justice, which can translate to more inquiries.

Take for example the following photos. The two photos are the same room, but with differences in lighting. Notice how the brighter picture is more appealing. It’s no surprise that the well list photo is more attractive, thus generate more leads.

Different AnglesTaking photos of your spare room or bathroom at different angles can really make a difference. From one angle, the room can appear larger or smaller. For instance, if you capture a photo of your spare room with the closets, it can appear smaller as it shows perspective. Alternatively, if you exclude the closets and capture the larger wall of the room, it appear larger. The important take away is to take multiple pictures from different angles.

Selling PointsAdditionally, you may want to consider adding photos of selling points or amenities you’re willing to share with your roommate. For instance, if you have a hot tub, include a picture of the hot tub. Though not as appealing as a hot tub, washer/dryer combination is an amenity that roommates value because of convenience.

THE BEST TYPE OF CAMERA TO USEJust about any digital camera will work. In fact, I’ve heard professional photographers say the camera you have doesn’t matter. What matters is the light in the photograph. No light equals no photo.

You can use a camera phone and still take decent enough photos because Craigslist only requires the photo to be 600 x 400 pixels. With this requirement, almost any camera phone these days can take better pictures than what’s required.

MY APPROACH
I always include pictures with my roommate advertisement. The pictures include the front of the house, pictures of the spare room, the kitchen, and common areas such as the kitchen and living room.

It’s always been my approach to sell the cleanliness and convenience factors of my house, which is why I include a well-kept living room and kitchen. I like to include pictures of my laundry room because adds a huge convenience factor when it comes to selecting a place to live.

If you have a different approach to using photographs, leave a comment!